Trainer Tony McEvoy has revealed that talented sprinter Iconic is a chance of being included in the 2014 Manikato Stakes field that will be released by Racing Victoria tomorrow morning.
Iconic is a chance of returning to Group 1 level for the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Iconic has only had one previous start at Group 1 level, when he finished 14th in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield earlier this year, but McEvoy told Racing Ahead this morning that the Bel Esprit gelding will be given a chance in the Manikato Stakes if he impresses in trackwork at the Breakfast With The Best event at Moonee Valley tomorrow morning.
“I am having a cup of coffee with Robert Crabtree and Robert is the owner of the horse,” McEvoy said.
“We are discussing what we should do there.
“It is possible that he will run.
“He will gallop tomorrow morning at Moonee Valley, but we are strongly considering running him in the Manikato.”
Iconic started his 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with a narrow win in the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on August 23 and he was beaten as a short-priced favourite in the Listed Wylie Quality (1100m) in Adelaide on September 20 before he finished within a length and a half of Rubick in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield on October 11.
McEvoy has been happy with the form of Iconic during his spring preparation to date and he believes that the four-year-old is in the best condition of his career.
“I think that the horse is the best that he has been and he appears to me to have just filled out his frame a little bit more,” McEvoy said.
“He is a bit stronger and he is racing at his career best at the moment, but he is going to need to be at this time of the year.”
McEvoy had Big Memory in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Saturday and the Duke Of Marmalade gelding worked home fairly in the final stages of the race to receive tenth and earn a $75,000 cheque for connections.
The leading trainer said that Big Memory’s performance in the Caulfield Cup was better than it looked on paper and he confirmed that the four-year-old would have his next race start in either the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) or Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) in an attempt to qualify for a start in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
“It was very good and I was very pleased with the horse,” McEvoy said.
“After they had gone 200 metres I was pretty disappointed with my decision to go back and it was always going to be difficult then and he just got too far out of the race.
“You wouldn’t know that he had run twice in a week and he licked the bin shiny with his feed.
“He was really bright and well and his normal self this morning having a canter.
“If he is a chance of getting in (to the Melbourne Cup) we will take it and he will go to the Mackinnon and if he doesn’t look like getting in we will go to the Lexus.”
Big Memory is currently available at 2014 Melbourne Cup odds of $34 with Ladbrokes Australia.
